Drop weight for knowles looms



Dec. 8, 1925. 1,564,338

T. F. FOLEY DROP WEIGHT FOR-KNOWL ES LOOMS Filed Sept. 1925 Patented Dec. s, 1925.

UNITED STATES THOMAS F. FOLEY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CROMPTON &

KNOWLES LOOM' WORKS, 011 WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

; 1,564,338 PATENT OFFICE.

DROP WEIGHT FOR KNOWLES LOOMS.

- Application filed September 26, 1925. Serial No. 58,720.

To all whom 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs F. FOLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Drop Weight for Knowles Looms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the drop weights used on the well-known Knowles loom and it is the general object of the invention to provide an improved means for raising the drop weights and holding the same in elevated position when the operator is removing a defective vibrator lever.

In the so-called Knowles head there is usually provided a vibrator lever positioned vertically by the pattern chain and having mounted rotatably thereon a vibrator gear to which is attached the inner end of a harness connector. The latter member is attached by an open bearing to the jack which actuates the harness frames. The drop weight bears on the upper side of the connector and tends to hold the same in operative relationship with respect to the harness jack as the vibrator gear rotates. It occasionally becomes necessary to remove a defective vibrator lever and as heretofore constructed the drop weights have rendered this operation inconvenient because of the fact that said drop weights cannot be conveniently raised.

It is a further and more detailed object of my invention to provide the usual form of drop weight and plunger rod therefor with a clip held by its own resilience to the drop weight and provided with an opening through which the shank of the plunger extends but which holds the head of said plunger so that as the latter is raised the drop weight is also lifted.

It is a still further object of my invention to provide a drop weight of this type having a plunger rod reduced in thickness to cooperate with slotted holding devices, the connection between the drop weight and the plunger permitting rotationof the latter to properly align the slabbed portion thereof with respect to the slotted holding structure.

lVith these and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings wherein I have shown a convenient embodiment of my lnvention,

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a Knowles head having my invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of a drop weight and plunger rod,

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed end elevation of my improved clip,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the clip blank before the same is bent to shape, and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged top plan of a portion of the head looking in the direction of arrow 7, Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings it will be seen that I have provided a loom 10 having a head frame 11 on which are mounted upper and lower oppositely but constantly rotating mutilated gear cylinders 12 and 13, respectively. Disposed between said cylinders is the usual gang of vibrator gears 14 one of which is shown in Fig. 1, and each of'said gears is mounted on a vibrator lever 15. A pattern chain 16 controls the vertical position of the vibrator levers and the latter move under control of the chain about a heel pin 17. Vibrator connector 18 has one end attached as at 19 to the, vibrator gear and the other end slotted as at 20 to engage a gudgeon 21 carried by each harness lever 22.. Said harness levers are pivoted on the cross rod 23 and are operatively connected to the harness of the loom. plurality of drop weights 24, one

.for each connector 18, are pivoted on a rod 25 extending between the arches of the loom. The matter thus far described is of well-known construction and in the operation thereof the vibrator levers 15 will be raised or lowered to bring the vibrator gears into operative contact with one or the other of the oppositely rotating mutilated gear cylinders to the end that the connectors 18 and the harness levers connected thereto may be reciprocated under control of the pattern chain to determine the weave.

My improvements relate more particularly to the plunger rod associated with each drop weight 2% and the manner in which the same is connected to the drop weight and alsoto the manner inwhich it may be moved to inoperative position. In carrying out my invention I provide a plunger rod for each drop weight and the lower end of each rod is provided with an enlarged rounded head 31'- to be. received by a depression in cup 32 formed on each drop weight 24:. The cup 32 extends on both sides of the web-- of the drop weight and has the lower opposite sides thereof formed with shoulders 3%. Each dropweight has removably mounted thereon a spring clip C having a pair of spaced depending resilient open legs 35 lying on opposite sides of the web 33 and caught under the shoulders 3d. The legs are joined by a body 36 provided with an opening 37 large enough to permit free movement therein of the shank of the plunger but small enough to prevent the head 31 from passing therethrough. When the clip is in place the body thereof confines the head 31 within the cup 32.

A frame 38 fixed to the loom structure is provided with a plurality of openings 39 which receive the rods. Each opening is formed with a reduced slot 40, see Fig. 7, and each rod has a portion of reduced crosssection- 4-1 proportioned to enter the slot 40. The frame 38 is above the reduced section d1 when the rods are in normal position and serves to guide said rods as the connector rises and falls. Springs S are interposed between frame 38' and the body 36 of each clip G to hold the drop weights down on the connectors.

When it is desired to remove adetective vibrator lever, the corresponding plunger rod is raised and the reduced portion there of slipped into the slot 40 to hold the rod in raised position. As the rod is raised the head thereof engages the body 36 of the clip and the associated drop weight is also raised to clear the vibrator connector. The defective part may then be removed and another lever inserted in place therefor, after which the raised rod will be moved into the corresponding opening 39 and the rod and drop weight lowered on the new connector;

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a very simple device to hold the drop weights in raised position consisting of a spring clip which may have the legs thereof sprung to pass around and under the cupsof the drop weight. The drop weights are formed as usual except that the cups are provided with the shoulders for the legs of the clip.

Having thus described my invention it will be apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein. by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed,.but what I claim is:

1. In a loom pattern mechanism-having a harness lever and an operating connector removably attached thereto, a drop weight operating normally to hold the connector and lever in operative relation, a cup formed on the drop weight having a recess therein, a device carried by the weight to partially cover the recess, and a rod having an enlarged portion to: lie within the recess and held against removal by the device.

2. In a loom pattern mechanism having a harness lever and an operating connector removably attached thereto, a drop weight operating normally to hold the connector and lever in operative relation, acupformed on the drop weight having a recess therein, adevice carried by the weight and resiliently held thereto to partially cover the recess, and a rod having an enlarged portion to lie within the recess and held against removal by the device.

3. In a loom pattern mechanism having a harness lever and an operating connector removably attached thereto, a drop weight operating normally to hold the connector and lever in operative relation, a cup formed on the drop weight having a recess therein, a removable device carried by the weight to partially cover the recess, and a rod having an enlarged portion to lie within the recess and held against removal by the device.

4. In a loom pattern mechanism having a harness lever and an operating connector removably attached thereto, a drop weight operating normally to hold the connector and lever in operative relation, a cup formed on the drop weight, shoulders formed with the cup, a clip having yielding legs to encircle the cup and lie under the shoulders, a body formed with the clip to partially cover a recess in the cup, and a rod extending through the body intothe recess and having portions thereofheld against removal from the recess by the body of the clip.

5. In a loom pattern mechanism having a harness lever and an operating connector removably attached thereto, a drop weight operating normally to hold the connector and lever in operative relation, a recessed cup "formed on the drop weight, a removable resilient clip held to the drop weight and partly covering the recess in the cup, a rod having a portion extending through the clip into the recess and held against removal from the recess by the clip, and means to hold the rod in elevated position to the end that the drop weight may be held away from the connector.

6. A clip for a loom pattern mechanism connector drop weight provided with a recessed cup, said clip having a portion to partly cover the recess of the cup and having resilient portions to engage the drop weight.

7. A clip for a loom pattern mechanism connector drop weight having a recessed cup formed therewith, said clip having a perforated body to partly cover the recess in the cup and having resilient open legs to 10 surround and extend under the cup to hold the same removably to the drop weight.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

THOMAS F. FOLEY. 

